darkylinky might have very low levels of standard female hormones (perhaps it's due to birth control?)

MOST females retain a few pounds of water from just before their TOM until the second or third day of the period. This is normal, and has nothing to do with your calories, exercise, or body fat%. To claim that it's the result of "not working hard enough" is ridiculous. Those kinds of unhealthy, medically incorrect, and judgmental comments contribute to eating disorders. I know I felt a sting when I read that.

Anyway... I gain about 5-7 pounds (sometimes more) right before my period, and they are gone by the very middle of my period. So the weight stays on about 3-4 days total.

i do have messed up hormone levels but i take birth control to FIX that and have a regular period. even when i didnt have to take pills to help with my periods i never used oh its that time of the month as an excuse to gain weight

Darkylinky, its not real weight gain...its water that comes and goes. Women saying how much they gain during TTOM is not using excuses, its trying to see if what they are experiencing is normal. I know I gain about 4 pounds from about 5 days before to about 3 days after, but as soon as that day comes, its gone. You should weigh yourself in the morning and again at night a couple times, and see how varied your weights can be.

I typically see the scale go up about two pounds then see it drop to below where I started once TTOM is over. I have to admit that post-TTOM drop is very encouraging and knowing it's coming keeps me from getting discouraged during the water retention.

Water retention is *not* an excuse. I'll typically lose about a pound over the time period of PMS and TTOM; however, I won't see that until the "big drop" at the end of TTOM (when I pretty much always hit a new low weight; broke into the 130s this morning!)

i dont gain weight, i dont let myself use excuses. if its not coming off im not working hard enough.

you know what, darkylinky? people who are absolutist in their thinking, who use words like "always" and "never," who believe that weight loss (and life in general) is an all-or-nothing project, are the kind of people who usually gain the weight back. they're the people who think, "If I'm going to have a bowl of ice cream, I might as well have the whole tub. With chocolate fudge sauce and sprinkles." they're the people who see a three-pound increase on the scale and go off the rails, seek out the nearest all-you-can-eat buffet and go on a five-day food bender. so you might want to stop thinking about always and never and start thinking sometimes and maybe.

but of course, being--like--emotionally twelve and chronologically nineteen--i'm sure you know better. right?

i dont gain weight, i dont let myself use excuses. if its not coming off im not working hard enough.

you know what, darkylinky? people who are absolutist in their thinking, who use words like "always" and "never," who believe that weight loss (and life in general) is an all-or-nothing project, are the kind of people who usually gain the weight back. they're the people who think, "If I'm going to have a bowl of ice cream, I might as well have the whole tub. With chocolate fudge sauce and sprinkles." they're the people who see a three-pound increase on the scale and go off the rails, seek out the nearest all-you-can-eat buffet and go on a five-day food bender. so you might want to stop thinking about always and never and start thinking sometimes and maybe.

but of course, being--like--emotionally twelve and chronologically nineteen--i'm sure you know better. right?

Is there timeframe when water retention starts? Can it be like 2 weeks before the TTOM?

The reason I ask is, I feel as if my true weight for any given month is at the end of my TTOM, which makes weekly weigh in difficult. For example, I was 217 on 6/12. I've gone as high as 224 in the days that followed. There is no way in HELL I have eaten an excess of 3500 calories every day for the last 2 weeks. My TTOM should be starting at the week however I've remain in the 20's for the past 2 weeks. Like clockwork, I bet I will be under 217 by next week. This has happened for the last 2 months.

I think I might have to start measuring myself cus this is driving me bonkers. Doesn't help that I am a candiate for that damn syndrom that makes your body cling to fat. Damn you hormones!